Secrets Of Analog And Digital Synthesis

138 Pages·1986·37.45 MB·English

by  Steve DeFuria

Published by
Third Earth Productions Inc.
Pompton Lakes, NJ
©Copyright 1985, 1986 Ferro Productions
Book Design© Copyright 1986, 1988 by
Third Earth Productions Inc.
All Rights Reserved. Any use of this material
without permission of Third Earth Productions Inc.
is a violation of copyright law.
Produced by John Cerullo
Cover Design by John Flannery
Cover Photo by George Mauro
Illustrations by Steve De Furia
ISBN#: 0-88188-516-9
PUBLISHER'S NOTE
This edition of the book really comes as both a first and second printing. Let me
explain.
The book has previously been offered as part of an excellent videdbook package
in a binder format. Because the cost of the package (which is still available*) is high,
we felt it would be wise to make the book avallable as a separate publication.
This edition is published essentially as it appears in the package, except that it's a
bound edition. Since it is the same, it retains all of the references to the video tape.
This does not diminish the use of the book at all -it is a full and comprehensive text
on the subject of synthesis. On the other hand, we do encourage those of you who
would like the use of the video tape to purchase it. It is currently available from DCI
Music Videos, New York, NY.
John Cerullo
Spring 1986
*Available from DCI Music Videos, New York, NY.
How To Use This Course
Welcome to "Secrets of Analog and Digital Synthesis." You have taken the first step into what
will prove to be a comprehensive learning experience which, hopefully, will open a new world of
musical possibilities for you.
You are about to discover that there is a great deal of information contained in this course
(probably more than you ever expected). We have made every effort to present this material in the
easiest to understand manner. Here are a few hints to help you get the most from this course in the
shortest possible time.
Without belaboring the point of how to study, here is an easy way to use the video tape and
manual together in order to master the subject matter. It can be broken down into three easy steps:
SCAN STUDY REVIEW
Scan: Don't feel you must absorb everything in one viewing. This course is equivalent to months of
private instruction. First, get an overview of the material.
Look over the table of contents. Make notes of topics that are of particular interest to you, as well
as topics that you feel you might be weak in.
Set the tape counter of your VCR to zero at the beginning of Lesson One. Sit back and watch the
tape. Don't be concerned with understanding or retaining all of the information presented. There's
plenty of time to review. Write down the counter numbers at the start of each lesson, and at any of
the topics that interest you.
Take advantage of the fact that this is a video course. You can stop viewing at any time and come
back later! Use the tape counter as a video bookmark.
You can scan through the entire tape in this manner, or proceed one lesson at a time.
Study: When you are through scanning, study a manageable portion of the course in more detail.
Use both the manual and the tape together. You'll find that each reinforces the other. Pay additional
attention to the topics that you highlighted while scanning. You will know you've reached the end of a
manageable portion when you begin to lose your concentration, or your attention drifts to something
else.
Review: Finally, review the material you have studied. This will reinforce what you have just learned,
and allow you to absorb material the second time around.
If you have a synthesizer you will want to duplicate the demonstrations on the tape and explore
their implications. Stop the tape and experiment! It will always be there when you're ready to move
on.
Be sure to watch the tape in a quiet environment. You will need to be able to hear the difference
between subtle sound nuances.
If you have some burning question which you can't seem to answer from the information presented
in the course, send your question along with a self-addressed stamped envelope, your signature,
and registration number. We will send the answer to you and direct you to the spot in the course that
will be of more help.
Remember: Take your time. SCAN, STUDY, REVIEW
The amount of information presented in each lesson is generally too much to retain in one sitting.
The video tape and manual for "Secrets of Analog and Digital Synthesis" can be used as a
reference source as well as a complete course in electronic music techniques and theory.

Author's Note
MAKE ANY SOUND YOU WANT ...
A provocative statement. Is it a realistic possibility, or advertising hype? Actually, it is a
challenge. In Volume One of "Secrets of Analog and Digital Synthesis," we have assembled
all of the tools you will need to meet that challenge.
It is no secret that synthesizers have become a major facet in all aspects of contem-
porary music production and performance. Every year, more and more synthesizers appear
on the market. Every year, more and more of them are purchased. The universal acceptance
of the programmable synthesizer indicates that musicians desire to create and manipulate
new sounds.
However, there is a stumbling block between musicians and sound creation. At first, this
stumbling block appears to be the difficulty of keeping up with ever-changing technology used
in each successive generation of synthesizers. That's not really the case. The problem is
even more basic than that. Musicians, people who spend their lives immersed in sounds,
know very little about how their instruments make sounds. The traditional instrumentalist can
take sound creation pretty much for granted.
Everyone knows what a trumpet, or guitar, or piano sounds like. A dedicated performer
can make a life's work out of perfecting his or her "sound," but they never need to know why
their particular instrument sounds the way it does. Furthermore, for each instrument, there is
a vast body of highly specialized knowledge and performance tradition. Players can draw
upon these to perfect their technique.
This is not so with synthesizers. By definition, a synthesizer is an instrument that has no
particular sound of its own. It is a sonic "clean slate." Also, because of both the general pur-
pose nature of the instrument and its relatively young age, there are few specialized skills and
techniques available for the developing synthesist to learn from.
There is, however, a vast body of general knowledge about music and sound that the
synthesist can apply, very specifically, to sound design and performance. Before he can ef-
fectively create and musically control sound, the synthesist must learn at;)Qut its physical
nature. Otherwise, he will be trapped into twiddling knobs in a trial and error manner, and
constantly confounded by the slight technical differences between different synthesizers.
This doesn't mean it is not possible to develop an effective, intuitive approach to sound
design. Indeed, many of the best musicians learn by ear. However, all musicians recognize
the importance of learning rudiments at some point in their development. Even the most in-
tuitive of musicians can benefit from studying such rudiments as scales, harmony, and ear-
training. In this tape and manual we present the rudiments of synthesis - sound creation and
performance. You will find that they can be applied to virtually any type of synthesizer: past,
present, or future. Like all other rudiments of music, they must be rigorously studied and ap-
plied.
The material in this course will give you a solid foundation upon which to build or extend
your skills as a synthesist. It is our sincere hope you will find it helpful in meeting the
challenge .. .
Make any sound you want!
Steve DeFuria
Spring '85
Author's Notes
for Second Printing
As "Secrets . .. "goes to press for its second printing, I have the opportunity to
make any additional introductory comments about the course that I feel will be
helpful to you. The course stands on its own. The contents and presentation have
not been changed. I would like to point out some general things to keep in mind as
you go through the material:
*
The information is presented in a very concentrated form. Don't expect to
absorb everything at once. You'll find that as your synthesis skills
develop, the course will continue to be an invaluable resource, to both
reinforce concepts and point you in new directions.
*
The material is organized as a method for sound design using any kind of
synthesis technology. You will learn how to become independent from
any particular hardware at the same time yoµ are learning the funda-
mentals of sound creation. Pay particular attention to the universal
implications of such sections as "Checking Out Functions," "The Tool
Kit," "The Secrets," and "Ear Training."
*
You'll find that "Lesson Five: FM Synthesis" is directly applicable to any
FM synthesizers, such as Yamaha's DX and TX series, as well as New
England Digital's Synclavier. Much of the information in this lesson is
unavailable from any other source.
*
If you own a synthesizer (or have access to one), make sure to experi-
ment. Try out the examples, techniques, and concepts demonstrated in
the course. More importantly, explore their implications!
Steve De Furia
Spring '86
About the Audio
on the tape ...
Great pains were taken to keep the audio as clean and unprocessed as
can be expected in this format. The synths were, in nearly all cases, taken
direct into a Harrison MR-3 36 input audio console. The console was fed
directly into a one-inch Ampex video machine. A 1/4" audio machine was
also fed as a backup to the master video recorder. The monitors used were
Electro-Voice Sentry 100's.
No compression or other processing was used aside from an Eventide SP
2016 digital reverb unit. The SP 2016 was normally set on the "Room" setting
for string sounds with about 30 to 40 milliseconds of pre-delay, and the decay
varying between 0.6 and 2.5 seconds (depending on the articulation). For
sounds other than strings, the "Hi-Density Plate" program was used with the
same pre-delay and decay settings as above.
Each and every instrument was EQ'd at the console (some quite heavily,
some less so), to approximate the sound (or sounds) normally heard on
record. Some string sounds were slightly augmented by minimal use of both
a room mic (a Sennheiser 416M shotgun), and a lapel mic (Sony ECM 50)
worn by Steve. The lapel mic picked up part of the foldback signal, and in
some cases, key clicks and other noises as well.

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Table of Contents
LESSON ONE: What is Sound? 2
The Physics Observations 3
of Sound Vibrations 4
Wave Parameters 6
20minutes Propagation 9
The "Big Three" 11
PAGEl
Loudness 11
Pitch 14
Timbre 15
Summing It All Up 23
LESSON TWO: Musical Instruments 26
Making Waves Sources, Modifiers, and Controllers 26
Music Machines 26
19minutes
Synthesizer Concepts 28
PAGE25 Electronics-101 28
Block Diagramming Basics 29
Checking Out Functions 32
Synthesizer Sources 33
Oscillators 33
Waveshapes 34
Sync 35
Noise Generators 36
Source Mixing 37
Wave Mixing 37
Chorus Effect 38
Synthesizer Modifiers 40
Amplifiers 40
Filters 41
Cut-Off Frequency 42
Roll-Off 42
Resonance 43
Low Pass Filter 44
High Pass Filter 44
Band Pass Filter 45
Notch Filter 45